Dear Mara
by Echo101
Summary: Sequel to Someone Like You. Jerome is in Afghanistan to escape from his feelings about Mara. And every day, he writes a letter to her. JARA!
1. Prologue

**A/N So this is the sequel to my one-shot, Someone Like You. It kind of expands on Jerome's mention of joining the army.**

Afghanistan 22:00

Jerome shouldered his pack. He hardly noticed the excited murmurs around him. He was being deployed to Afghanistan, and he hardly cared. He might die out there, but what concerned him was not being able to tell Mara good-bye. He loved her, but she had married Mick.

He hated to admit it to himself, but he was running away from that. The pain and hurt. He shook his head and cleared his mind. Now was not the time to be thinking of his crush. Now he had to focus and survive.

He felt the bump when the plane landed. Everyone around him jerked. Some started praying, others stayed silent. The plane doors opened, and Jerome looked out onto a small base. It was shrouded in darkness, but the full moon was out, illuminating the scene.

All of the men ran out in a single file line. "Private Clarke." A sergeant called out.

Jerome saluted. "Sir!"

The sergeant looked down at the list. "You're on the second II-112."

Jerome saluted again. "Sir!" He ran past, dodging people running around. He found the helicopter and boarded it.

"Jerome Clarke?" The pilot asked.

"Yeah." Jerome replied.

"Welcome aboard." The pilot said, starting the helicopter.

**A/N I'm so sorry if I'm off with the military and stuff. But anyways, most of the story will be in letter format probably. And if this is short, it's because this is the prologue.**


	2. 1st Letter

**A/N Thanks for the awesome reviews telling me to update. I will, as you can see with this new addition. Yay!**

"Clarke?" A sergeant called out.

Jerome stopped fixing his bed. "Sir?" He asked.

"Got a letter." The sergeant shoved the envelope into his waiting hands. Ignoring everybody, who were making kissing noises, around him , he looked at who had sent it. He smiled to himself. Of course Mara would send a letter. Why wouldn't she?

He opened it, and a beautifully hand-written letter fell into his lap. He opened it up and started to read.

_Dear Jerome,_

_Have you lost your mind? I thought you were better than that. Sneaking off and joining the army when our backs were turned. I just found out, and I would like to say that we are all disappointed you decided not share the news with us. Alfie's ready to drag you back home, uniform and all. In fact, I think she's bought the plane ticket._

_All jokes aside, how could you not tell us? (Oh, and FYI I got the shortest straw, which is why I have to write this letter to you.) Mick's pretty pissed off too, partly because you didn't get us a wedding gift. How could you? I even e-mailed you the china set that I so desperately wanted._

_Oh well. I can't change what you decided to do. I guess I'll have to tell you then. Nina's pregnant. And _you_ just had to leave for the army so you'll miss its birth. She's considering your name if it's a boy, just in case you get killed._

_I want you to think about what you've done very carefully. Then, if you come back, we'll have a discussion on how to best murder you for disappearing for almost six weeks and giving us a heart attack._

_Sincerely,_

_Mara_

_P.S. Joy's brought home a torture book. She said she found an interesting method of Chinese torture. We'll wait for you to come before we try it out._

"Girlfriend breaking up with you?" A fellow private, Natterson, asked.

"He needs frog legs. They taste good when you're sad." Everyone turned to look at Private Chua. "What?" He asked in his Asian accent.

"No." Private Patil said. "What he needs is _bharfi_. Or _gulab jamun_. _Kheer_ tastes good too." Soon, the whole barracks descended into a chaotic mess of suggestions about comfort food.

Jerome chuckled to himself and grabbed a pencil. He started writing.

_Dear Mara,_

_Thanks to know you all love and are proud of me. I'm only going to say this once, so listen up whoever else you're saying this too. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. There, don't make me say it again. I just didn't want a whole soppy party and everything. And Alfie, you're my best mate. You can have everything you want from my house. Fabian and Nina, you're next. Then Mara and Mick. Patricia and Joy, you're last because you annoyed me the most. Amber, you have too much stuff so I'm not giving anything to you._

_Camp here at a base I-cannot-tell-because-of-security-reasons is actually quite interesting. For instance, right now, all the men are arguing about comfort food. They seem to believe Mara's my girlfriend. Don't worry, Mick. They just saw my expression when I read about the torture schemes._

_Oh, and about the torture schemes. I believe that you've found a Chinese method. Well, here's another one. Torture me, and I will make you regret for the rest of your life._

_Sincerely,_

_Jerome_

_P.S. And I wasn't kidding about the life part._


	3. 2nd Letter

**A/N I'm so sorry for the wait. I was on vacation and stuff. So, anyways, here's the next chapter. And I included Eddie in this chapter. Anybody know what his equivalent would be in Het Huis Anubis?**

_Dear Jerome,_

_Alfie thanks you for the coffee pot. He says it reminds him of you. I didn't ask. In other news, we are doing quite well, no thanks to you. Eddie's come back from America. I think his sister's going to be alright. Then there was that property management case. Oh well, he wishes you the best and is angry you didn't include him in your will. Patricia and Joy are angry at you again for making them go last._

_Oh, and Nina and Fabian got permission to go to Egypt for another dig. _Sadly_, you won't be there to tell them goodbye. Honestly, I'm surprised Nina got permission in her state. Amber and Alfie are _getting married_. How could you miss your best mate's _wedding_? Amber is currently trying to get you to come. I have a feeling you won't come._

_Either way, have a great time avoiding bullets while we celebrate your _best mate's wedding_._

_Sincerely,_

_Mara_

_P.S. Don't get killed._

Jerome chuckled as he read Mara's reply. He had read it out loud to his whole team, causing them to burst out laughing.

"They must really miss you." Chua said.

"How could they have the wedding without you?" Natterson asked, shaking his head.

"How many times are they going to go around the fire?" Patil asked. Everyone looked at him. "What do you do?"

"You go up an aisle, and you say you'll love each other forever." Jerome replied.

"That's stupid." Patil snorted.

"How's the kid?" The medic, Watson, asked. A few months ago, they'd found a kid wandering in the desert. They were currently attempting to send him to the U.S. on a humanitarian visa. Watson had taken a special liking to him, and the kid treated him like a dad. Didn't talk though. Everyone called him Golden, because, after all, silence is golden.

Jerome smiled as he realized what he was going to write about.

_Dear Mara,_

_Please tell Alfie I'm sorry. And send me a video. Tell Nina and Fabian to come here. And Eddie, I'm glad for your sister. She's very nice. (Am I flirting with her? No. She's not my type.) You can take whatever Patricia and Joy left, which probably isn't much._

_Please stop trying to guilt me. I can do nothing about this, and neither can you. You don't think you can photoshop me into the wedding pictures do you?_

_Oh, there's a kid here. You might like him, Mara. We call him Golden. He's completely silent, but he seems to like Watson, the medic. Right now, my army buddies are discussing weddings. We have an Indian, Patil, who's confused about wedding rituals. He mentioned something about a fire. Not exactly sure what that was about. He seems to think ours are stupid for some reason.  
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_Sincerely,_

_Jerome_

_P.S. I'm still alive._


	4. 3rd Letter

_Dear Jerome,_

_Joy and Patricia have given up their hopes of torturing you. Patricia stopped mainly because Eddie's returned. I think they've gotten back together again. Nina and Fabian are on the Nile somewhere. Nina says the baby is fine._

_Joy's been fine. A little down since the whole "Fabina" thing, but she's gotten over it. Apparently she brought home a boy last night. You can imagine how Patricia felt! She had Eddie over, discussing business mostly. Honestly, I'm not sure what goes on between Patricia and Eddie. It's obvious that they like each other, but they don't say or do anything! It's really bad for Amber, who feels that her matchmaking skills aren't working._

_Amber and Alfie are fine. They've managed to buy a new home. Alfie's company is doing well at least. It's all thanks to you._

_Mick and I are fine as well. Mick's still mad at you for running away. I still wonder why you went away._

_Sincerely,_

_Mara_

_P.S. Poppy won't say why you went away. She's doing well though. She's going to graduate in the spring._

Jerome smiled as he read Mara's latest letter. The base was fine. There were a few attacks, but not many near his base, mostly to another base east of here. He was glad to hear his friends were doing alright. It made him feel better about his situation.

Private Ngo, an American recruit, came in. "How's your girlfriend doing?"

Jerome rolled his eyes. "She's not my girlfriend. She's already married too."

"Ah, so you're helping her cheat on her husband."

"Shut up." Jerome grinned as he grabbed a pencil and paper.

_Dear Mara,_

_Not much to write. I honestly don't know what to write about. There have been a few attacks, but to another base, mostly east of here. A town near here has gotten through alright as well. We found a poppy field (reminds me of her) and destroyed it. It was really sad because the family just stood and wailed. It was the only way for them to make money._

_I gave one of the kids a little bit of "British money". He was really happy. Golden Silence received his visa, and he's on his way to the U.S. We're all happy to see him go to a better life, but we're also sad because this is probably the last time we'll see him._

_Sincerely,_

_Jerome_

_P.S. Will you write written confirmation that you're not my girlfriend? The guys here are under the delusion that you are._


	5. 4th Letter

_Dear Jerome,_

_Nina and Fabian have discovered a tomb! They're so excited! I can't believe that they'll probably go in the history books. And they said their baby is a girl, so it's not getting named after you, Jerome. They said they're going to name her Sarah._

_Alfie and Amber's new home is quiet large. Oh, and Amber's landed a movie role. It's a supporting role, but she's terribly excited. Alfie also managed to snag a good business deal for his pranks company, so they're alright._

_Patricia and Eddie have _finally_ announced their engagement. Mr. Sweet's so happy for them (I'm still getting over the shock that he's Eddie's dad!). However, he did think it was Piper at first. Oh, yes. Piper's been invited to play at Carnegie Hall. She actually came in unannounced into Patricia and Joy's apartment, making Patricia really angry. She's staying with them for the time being though._

_Joy's been sick for the past week. It's a little cough and cold, but the doctor said that she should be over it in no time. She's found a new boyfriend, someone named Robert, I think. I haven't really met him, but Patricia says he's okay._

_Mick and I are fine. Mick's gotten an offer! He's so excited! I'm so happy for him too! My law studies are going well. I'm planning to graduate in the spring._

_Poppy's doing fine. She says she misses her Gerbil, but that he'll be back soon. I sincerely hope she's right. It's not the same without you, Jerome._

_Sincerely,_

_Mara_

_P.S. Oh, I almost forgot. I, Mara Jaffrey, am in no way, shape, or form Jerome Clarke's girlfriend._

Jerome triumphantly waved the paper in Private Patil's face. "See!" He said excitedly. "Proof that I am not writing to my girlfriend!"

Chua laughed. "Then why are you writing?" He grabbed the letter. "And why does it say that 'it's not the same without you.'"

"Oh, she's probably referring to my pranks." Jerome said, shrugging.

"Your pranks?" Natterson said skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. One day, I'll demonstrate it to you." Jerome said calmly as he rummaged around for a pencil.

_Dear Mara,_

_Thank you. Although now they are questioning my pranking abilities. Tell Poppy that her Gerbil will be back completely whole (maybe) and that she should focus on her nursing career. And give my congratulations to Patricia and Eddie. Thank God I don't have to hear Amber squeal "Peddie!" every time they're together._

_Oh, and tell Nina and Fabian I am sad that I could not be the namesake of their child. But the next one that's a boy will be named after me!_

_One of our privates, Patil (he's a rather good friend of mine), is insisting on teaching us Hindi! Not that I mind or anything, but I really don't want to do it. It's not…I don't know. I just don't want to learn. Hm…maybe I could hide his Hindi textbook. It _would_ be quiet interesting to see his reaction._

_In other news, there's been a suicide bombing at a town west of here. We've destroyed two more poppy fields and arrested a possible terrorist. It's the little things that keep you sane. I never imagined that reading could be fun! It helps to keep your mind off of things._

_Sincerely,_

_Jerome_

_P.S. Oh, and tell Mick I'm glad that he got on a sports team. It's about time!_


	6. 5th Letter

_Dear Jerome,_

Please_ don't get in trouble. And Alfie's mad that you haven't asked him to help you prank…who was it? Either way, Alfie's mad. And _please_ don't burn the Hindi textbook. It's a book! Patil will probably be very mad that you burned it. Books are sacred to him. I swear, you get into more trouble away from us than with us._

_Oh, and you know Amber's big movie? It's called _Poppy Fields_. It's indie and all, as well as dramatic. I just hope Amber can pull it off. Patricia and Eddie have gotten into a little trouble. You know Jason Winkler, our history and drama teacher? Apparently he and Patricia used to have a thing. It's all in the past, but Patricia and Eddie got into a fight about it. They haven't called off the engagement though. That wedding is still going on._

_Joy and Robert have broken up. Joy just wasn't feeling it, according to Patricia. I feel so bad for stealing Mick from Joy. You don't think I'm a bad person, do you? I mean, I didn't mean to take Mick away from Joy, it just happened. Oh well._

_Fabian and Nina think this may be the final resting place of Senkhara. They've decided that once they've excavated the tomb, they'll come back. Nina's fine. They said it will take three months. They are terrified that something will happen to Sarah. I can't blame them. Egypt's not exactly stable._

_Oh, and Amber and Alfie are fine with Piper staying in London. She's going next week anyway, but there still was that thing she and Alfie had back in school._

_Poppy's back for a holiday. She says that she always worries about her Gerbil and she wishes he was back home._

_Mick and I are fine. He won his first game, which was amazing. You should've seen it._

_Sincerely,_

_Mara_

Jerome stared at the letter in his hand. That one line, _You should've seen it_, struck him more than anything Mara had written so far.

"Jerome!" Natterson, or as Jerome had started calling him, Kyle, yelled.

Jerome smirked. "Well, now you know how well I can prank." He yelled back. That morning, he'd replaced the toothpaste in Kyle's tube with shaving cream. The result was a foaming Kyle, who now stood in front of him.

"You." Kyle managed to choke out before collapsing on his bed.

"That was very funny." Patil, whose first name was Rajith, said.

"I agree." Chua, who preferred people calling him James, agreed.

"At least Raj has given up teaching Hindi." Kyle groaned from his bed. It was true. After their first disastrous lesson, which ended with Kyle and Jerome in a swordfight, the Indian seemed to have lost his taste for teaching.

Jerome laughed as he pulled out a pen and paper.

_Dear Mara,_

_Tell Alfie shaving cream and toothpaste. He'll understand. Oh, and tell Amber to mail us copies of her movie. We need a little entertainment here. It's quite boring actually. The only interesting thing was Raj (Patil)'s Hindi lesson. It ended in a swordfight between me and Kyle(who I pranked)._

_Eddie and Patricia better not break up. I, personally, do not want to hear Amber moaning about how Eddie and Patricia were perfect for each other. As for Egypt, I have no idea why it's unstable. But, we are cut off from civilization here. It's lucky that I get your letters at all!_

_I _really_ don't want to talk about Senkhara. She was scary enough in school as it is! As for Alfie and Piper, trust me, Alfie got over her a long time ago._

_Poppy should be relaxing. Tell her I'm fine, and that I will get home. Someday._

_Sincerely,_

_Jerome_


	7. 6th Letter

_Dear Jerome,_

_Poppy fell ill. She's staying at my place for the time being. She hasn't missed any classes and she'll be fine before her school starts. Mick and I are fine. We've decided to move into another house, this one seems so empty. We'll be going house-shopping tomorrow._

_Nina has returned to England. Fabian and her were so worried about the baby, they decided that Nina should come back. She's living in her old flat and she said she misses you._

_There's good news and bad news about Amber and Alfie. The bad news is that Amber had to drop out of the movie. The good news is that she's pregnant. She and Alfie are so excited. This one is probably going to be named after you._

_Patricia and Eddie surprised us all by getting married "secretly". I suppose it was for the best, because Mr. Sweet had planned a very elaborate wedding. Eddie called his real wedding a "Vegas Wedding", whatever that means._

_Joy's single right now. She says she wants "time to herself". Poor Joy, she hasn't had the best luck in relationships recently._

_Sincerely,_

_Mara_

"Who's that, your girlfriend?" Kyle teased.

Jerome rolled his eyes. "As if you don't get letters from that girl every day." Jerome retorted.

Kyle laughed. "At least I have a sense of humor."

"You want shaving cream in your toothpaste again?"

"Calm down." Raj snapped as he looked up from his book.

"Besides, if a girl writes to you every day, then you know she's in love with you." James added.

Jerome just rolled his eyes and got out his sheet of paper.

_Dear Mara,_

_It's fine here. There's not much to do, but we did go out and destroy a couple of poppy fields. Tell Amber and Alfie that I will not die but I appreciate the sentiment of naming their child after me._

_As for Patricia and Eddie, I suppose I'll have to put up with Amber squealing "Peddie!" from now on, but it's better than her crying about how they tragically broke apart._

_Tell Nina to take it easy and that Sarah will be fine._

_I hope Poppy's well, and her Gerbil misses her. Tell her not to get too stressed and that I'll be home soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Jerome_


	8. 7th Letter

**A/N To all of my Dear Fanfiction readers, I have no idea why that was taken down. The site said it violated the guidelines or something, but in all honesty, I really don't know why. I'm so sorry about it, especially since a lot of people enjoyed reading it.**

_Dear Jerome,_

_Mick and I have a house in mind, but we're not too sure about the price. Poppy's been feeling a bit better, so she's returned to school._

_Nina gave birth, _finally_, and we're all so excited for Sarah. She's adorable. I've sent a picture with this letter. Fabian managed to come back in time, and Amber was squealing about how it was all so romantic, like a movie._

_Speaking of Amber, she says she's doing fine, but she's complaining about how fat it's making her. She won't be complaining in a few months when she's holding the child. She's saying that if it's a boy, they'll name it Jerome. If it's a girl, then they're going to name it Amfie (apparently it's what she calls herself and Alfie)._

_I should also tell you that Mr. Sweet has gotten really upset at Patricia and Eddie and the very showy wedding will proceed. Patricia's pissed off about it, actually. Eddie, well, he gets the buffet, so he's happy._

_Joy is still single. She's saying that it's better than being in a relationship. I'm happy she's happy. It's been awhile since she's well, smiled. You should see it, Jerome. You really should._

_Sincerely, Mara_

Jerome smiled as he pulled out the photo of Sarah. She was adorable, in that baby way. Jerome felt tears pricking his eyes.

"Oh, is that your kid?" Kyle asked.

"What? No, no. This is my friend's kid." Jerome replied.

"You've been down, lately." Kyle noticed.

"Yeah. Stuff happening." Jerome said, forcing himself to look at the picture.

"Are you going to tell your friends about James?"

"No. They shouldn't know what's happening here."

"He's dead."

"I know."

_Dear Mara,_

_Everyone here is fawning over Sarah. It's been awhile since they've seen any babies so it's kind of special for them._

_You know Private James Chua? He got to go home, lucky guy. He was a good guy though._

_I can't wait to see the "Amfie" baby. It better be a boy._

_There's not much to say here. We're either bored or well…_

_Anyways, see you Mara._

_Sincerely,_

_Jerome_


	9. 8th Letter

_Dear Jerome,_

_Are you okay? You didn't seem too happy in your last letter. KT actually stopped by for a while. Nina and KT got to meet for the first time and they seemed kind of okay with each other. It was a bit awkward though._

_I hope you come back soon, Jerome. We all miss you so much. Amber and Alfie had another ultrasound and it turned out to be a boy! There'll be another Jerome!_

_Patricia and Eddie had the large wedding. It was grand, although Patricia wasn't happy about being stuffed in a dress._

_Joy met a guy at the reception, but they're not dating. They're just "good friends". Also, Willow came back from riding around with the hippies in America. She said that she can't miss Patricia and Eddie's wedding._

_Oh, and I haven't told Mick this yet, but I think I might be pregnant! I hope I am. Both he and I want a child so dearly._

_Poppy's graduating next week. It's been almost six months since you enlisted, hasn't it? Well, I hope you come back soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Mara_

Jerome reread the letter again. He was alone in the barracks, again. Kyle had gone out with another patrol. Raj was in the hospital, stuck with a broken leg.

Jerome sighed and rubbed the back of his head. _Only six months. _He thought. _It's only been six months. How much longer 'till it's over?_ These were the times Jerome wished he believed in a God.

When he enlisted, he wanted to find a way to get away from England. Now all he wanted to do was go home.

_Dear Mara,_

_Life here is fine. Rations are coming in. I've been beat up a few times, but nothing major. One of my friends is in the hospital._

_Sincerely,_

_Jerome_

He sighed, then crumpled the paper and tossed it into the bin. He didn't have any words. Nothing to write.

Maybe it was better for his friends to forget him. It would be easier on him too.


End file.
